[cudders]

Hi all,

I'm gonna have a try at growing some large onions next year. I assume they are not available as sets?. Never seen any.

What are the best types to go for and where to get them?

Also when in the calender should the seeds be started and how to progress them. Never grown onions from seed so apologies if it's obvious.

Cudders

[Lee G]

I'm having a go at Kelsae, suposedly a big onion, can be sown indoors from December I think.  I didn't do mine until February though, Mrs G found a packet on the floor outside the local shops and I thought it was a shame not to give them a go.  Not as big as my onions grown from sets to be honest, but thats probably down to the late start.

also see here for more info - http://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/onion-shallot/grow-onion-seed.php

[barney rubble]

Ailsa Craig are supposed to be good show onions...but I don't know how big a big onion can get

[mumofstig]

Look here

http://www.mammothonion.co.uk/shop/2/index.htm

and google for stuff by Medwyn Williams  who's won many prizes for large veg

[Goosegirl]

I agree with Mumofstig - they regularly exhibit at Chelsea and I am only about 5 miles from their nurseries. Haven't tried to grow mammoth onions but am trying Rjinsberger from seed (a first) for a strong tasting onion as many seem to be mild these days. They have a catalogue and also on-line growing info.

[8doubles]

I have grown kelsae with good results , the seed was sown Christmas week on a warm window sill. Its a good mild tasting onion and several grew to over 6" diameter which is plenty big enough for me.

[Jay Dubya]

Hi, i grew my show winners from Kelsae the only one for me. I start mine off 1st. Jan. in a proporgator under grow lights in modules then outside in a well mucked bed i used the same bed every year to build up the fertility i know it's against all the rotation thing but it is the best way. Feed for the first part with a high nitrogen feed to build up the layers then with a high potash feed ( chempack number 8 ) to swell the bulbs, once a week.
About a week or so before lifting peel back the dodgy outer skins ( not too many ) and let the sun coulor the under ones. When tying use rafia the judges prefer it.

[SG6]

I bought and sowed the mammoth onion seed. 
I had a very poor germination rate, about 1 in 10. 

Planted out the 10% that came up and so far they are still very small. 
They may make spring onion size in 3 months at the present rate but I will be very surprised if they actually resemble an onion. 

[mumofstig]

Don't know why but everyone seems to have had poor onion germination this year

You have to have very fertile soil for big onions that's why a lot of the show growers have dedicated onion beds Not good for rotation, but they put all their efforts into making super fertile beds in the hope of growing something worth showing

[cudders]

Many thanks for the advice guys..Will give em a go 

Cudders

[Jakell]

 I'm going to try Golden Bear (funny name for onions by the way) as they  are supposed to be highly white rot and botrytis resistant, which has turned out to be an issue on my plot.

http://www.organiccatalogue.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=185&osCsid=d490203b8265b08a846f5f73fbd72a9a

 They are F1 hybids and are only available as seed. So it will be growing from seed for me from now on.

 They say that bulbs are about 300 grams, don't know if that is large or not. Size is not an issue with me, I would rather successfully grow medium sized onions than fail to grow large ones. Presumably large onions need to feed more, are more vigorous, and are more high maintainence.     

[Howard]

You have to have very fertile soil for big onions that's why a lot of the show growers have dedicated onion beds Not good for rotation, but they put all their efforts into making super fertile beds in the hope of growing something worth showing

I have to say I simply don't understand this philosophy towards show growing.

I'm not singling you out Stig's Mum - it strikes me that there are plenty of other posters using these forums who clearly have no interest in growing for showing and would seem to have a degree of disdain for it and those who do it.

Yet some of these very people (Medwyn Williams is a perfect example...) are prepared to share shedloads of vegetable growing information - a considerable amount of which can be applied to a typical allotment situation.

I spent a lot of time learning about show growing over the winter, and I can say categorically that it has improved my veg growing knowledge tenfold - which for me personally, is Q.E.D.

[robbodaveuk]

Sorry Howard I didn't see any degree of disdain in any of the posts so far. I grow ordinary veg to eat and give away. This year I have grown mammoth onions to see how big I can grow them, just for the hell of it. The people who grow the show veg put a lot of time and effort into growing their prize possessions and I for one admire their dedication and conviction, but their reasons for growing veg are entirely different from ours, we go for quantity, they go for quality. I don't care if my carrot looks like someones private parts, I will still eat it. As you rightly say, from the knowledge show growers have of the cultivation of these show veg, applying it to our food veg would greatly improve our own efforts.
This is my first proper year of growing veg for the table and thanks to the advice and help from the nice people on this forum, I have good crops that are really doing well. Next year I will try and gain knowledge from the experienced show growers of applications other than the basics and hopefully grow even better veg.

  Robbo.

[Howard]

Sorry Howard I didn't see any degree of disdain in any of the posts so far...

Apologies Robbo, I wasn't intentionally referring to this thread - the second sentence in my post above was poorly written and I can see why you read it as you did.

I have now edited it...

[mumofstig]

Personally i don't try to grow veg for show, but admire the dedication of those who do, and cudders asked about large onions
Who better to refer to than Medwyn, who seems a likeable chappie, willing to pass on advice ...what more can you ask for he knows his onions as they say

For myself i just ask for tasty, healthy veg in return for the effort involved (but don't we all love it when something grows huge!!).......I have the usual struggle with slugs which tries to upset the balance though